Slick 60's

I'm sure many of you sage, old Slicksters know all about the light cleaning properties of white vinegar. I had heard about folks using it here and there but never put much thought into it. I recently got some brackets and bolts from Pat when we were up pulling the cab for Gary's project. The brackets had some rust which I mostly knocked off with a wire brush and shot some black paint on. The bolts were very rusty and I was just going to buy some new bolts. However, I had recently seen somebody using white vinegar to clean parts and hardware so I thought I would give it a try.

I should have gotten some pics of the before to show the dramatic changes, however I didn't think about it. I placed the bolts in a sour cream container I was about to throw away. I covered them with the vinegar and put on counter and let it sit for a couple of days. I opened it up and was amazed to see how much of the rust had been removed. I used a wire brush, rinsed with water and put back in a clean vinegar bath to soak for another couple of days.
I took them out last night after soaking for about 5 days. Hit them with the wire brush a final time and rinsed in a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize the vinegar. I'm extremely happy with how they came out. Most all of the rust was removed without losing much material. In the past to clean up bolts I've thrown them into a parts washer and then hit the heads with a bead blaster. I don't have access to this equipment so I was happy to find another effective method. It takes longer but appears to do a great job. Your results may vary.

That's good to know. I have a rusty pipe wrench that I found the other day that looked like it had been exposed to the elements for some time. I will try the white vinegar on it, I will take before and after pictures for you.

I have used phosphoric acid for this as well. Just don't use muratic acid. It embeds chlorine atoms in the metal and causes rust later on.

Dan

Another method of de-rusting uses mollasses (cheap @ feed stores), the process uses chelation, but it is not an overnight deal, large items fenders, etc can take a month, AND it can be a bit stinky, so best for rural folks:)

google it!! I know a number of people who have tried it, and it works!!

James

Though I've never tried it, I've seen beet juice sold for rust removal use. Would like to hear from someone how that works too.

I have used electrolysis on a lot of my parts. Converts all the rust without losing any more metal, rust just brushes off with nylon brush.
Lots of ventilation and no stainless,but you are going to love it, I have done everything from nuts and bolts to bell housings in less than two days pour the soapy solution out.